It was a sad day in the city of Chicago Illinois on June 21st, 1958, as the Chicago Transit Authority finally pulled the plug on all electric streetcar operations.
Chicago's transit companys were all seperate franchise operations prior to 1914, when the Chicago Surface lines was created due to a public out cry for municipal ownership of the electric streetcar companys. The succesor company Chicago Transit Authority was created in 1945, but did not resume operations until the money was raised to purchase the Chicago Surface Lines and the Chicago Rapid Transit Company in the year of 1947. A few years later, bus operator Chicago Motor Coach Company joined the CTA in 1952.
From the begining, the CTA was in terrible shape as it had inherited rapid transit equipment dating back to the 1890's along with equipment dating back to the 1920's that was already outdated and showing many years of wear and tear. The electric streetcar lines were plaqued with streets clogged with ever increasing automobile traffic as well as the rising cost of maintaining the in street trackage and overhead wires. Streetcars were also prone to accidents on Chicago city streets, one in May of 1950 on South Halsted and 63rd Street very tragic with many fatalities when a streetcar struck a gasoline tanker.
From 1945 onward, streetcar operations were gradually being phased out, while plans were in the works to upgrade the elevated and subway rapid transit lines. The newer streamlined PCC cars like the one shown here, when taken out of service were scrapped, and the electrical and various interior and body components reused in new rapid transit cars manufactured by the St. Louis Car Company. The new lightweight cars were numbered in the 6000 series and were thus named The Six thousand Series cars. They operated until approximately the mid 1990's. Several have been preserved at railroad and trolley museums today.
An era in Chicago's public transportation history came to an official end, on June 21st, 1958.
1 comment:
That accident was at 63rd and State st, my mother and myself were in the car behind the one that was hit, I was 3yrs old and still remember the fire.
Phil
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